The present invention relates to multiple-pane insulating glass units. More particularly, the invention relates to the methods and apparatus for manufacturing insulating glass units.
In most industrialized countries, windows touch people""s lives everyday. Wherever people work and live there are windows. Windows allow the occupants of a building to view the outside world while allowing sun light to enter the interior of the building. Sunlight is a natural antidepressant and helps the human body produce vitamin D. Thus, a certain amount of sunshine is essential to mental and physical well being.
Human beings have a relatively narrow temperature range in which they are comfortable. Unfortunately, infra red (IR) energy from the sun entering a room through a window can quickly raise the temperature to an uncomfortable level. Many windows include low emissivity coatings which have been developed to prevent heat spikes within a room by reflecting a large portion of incident infra red energy.
In northern climates significant energy may be lost through windows during the winter when a building is being heated. With the rising cost of energy, efforts have been made to provide homes and other buildings with insulation which will more efficiently prevent the loss of heat to the outside. Modern buildings often include insulating glass units. Insulating glass units have been developed to reduce the amount of heal lost through windows. There are basically three types of insulating lass units commercially available today. These three types are often referred to as single glazing, double glazing, and triple glazing. Double glazed insulating glass units are the most common. These insulating glass units include a space sealed between two panes of glass. This sealed space provides insulation, the insulating effect may be enhanced by filling the space with an insulative gas such as argon, or krypton. Compared with a single pane, a double glazed insulating glass unit can cut heat loss through a window nearly in half.
Many office buildings include insulating glass units having a mirror-like coating. This coating cuts down on glare and allows officer workers to work efficiently even while facing the window. This type of insulating glass unit is sometimes referred to as architectural glass. Different colors of mirrored coating can be manufactured to provide a desired architectural appearance. Examples of colors include gold, green, silver and blue.
The present invention relates to multiple-pane insulating glass units. More particularly, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for manufacturing insulating glass units. An insulating glass unit generally includes one or more parallel-opposed panes defining, with said panes, a sealed gas space having a spacer frame in between. The spacer frame has a first pair of seals between each side of the spacer frame and the opposing pane face and a second seal or pair of seals extending between the panes outside the outer peripheral face of the spacer frame. When the insulating glass units are to be mounted to the frame/sash, a bead of adhesive may be placed along the perimeter of the glass surface that will be mounted against the frame/sash. An apparatus and method of using the apparatus is provided by which adhesive is applied to the end regions of the insulating glass unit with one or more nozzles while a separate side arm extends from the device and alongside the insulating glass unit having a nozzle that delivers adhesive bead to the side of the pane to be adhered to the frame or sash.
One method of fabricating an assembly in accordance with the present invention includes the step of positioning an applicator proximate the first edge of a first pane of an insulating glass unit. A first deposit may be applied to an inside face of the first pane by the applicator, and a second deposit may be applied to an outside face of the first pane. In an advantageous embodiment, the first deposit and the second deposit are applied substantially simultaneously.
In certain implementations, a method in accordance with the present invention may further include the steps of providing a window sash, and bringing together the outside face of the first pane, and the window sash so that the insulating glass unit is bonded to the window sash by the second deposit. In other implementations, a method in accordance with the present invention may further including the step of simultaneously applying a third deposit to an inside face of a second pane of the insulating glass unit. In yet another implementation, a method in accordance with the present invention may include the step of simultaneously applying a fourth deposit to an outside face of the second pane.
In some implementations in accordance with the present invention, the first deposit and the second deposit comprise the same material. For example, the first deposit and the second deposit may both comprise a sealant material (e.g., silicone sealant). In other implementations, the first deposit and the second deposit may comprise different materials.
In an advantageous implementation, a method in accordance with the present invention may, include the step of urging the applicator toward the spacer of the insulating glass unit with a preselected force. In a particularly advantageous implementation, the preselected force may be chosen to yield a desired thickness of deposit.
In some implementations of the present invention, the preselected force may be provided by a biasing mechanism. In certain implementations, the biasing mechanism may include an air cylinder coupled to a slide. When this is the case, the step of urging the applicator toward the spacer of the insulating glass unit with a preselected force may include the step of maintaining a preselected pressure within a chamber of the air cylinder.
A method of in accordance with the present invention may include the step of moving the applicator relative to the insulating glass unit. In some implementations, a method in accordance with the present invention, the step of moving the applicator relative to the insulating glass unit may include the step of moving the applicator along a first axis that is generally parallel to the first edge of the first pane. In other implementations, a method in accordance with the present invention, the step of moving the applicator relative to the insulating glass unit may include the steps of moving the applicator along a first axis and moving the applicator along a second axis, the second axis being disposed at about a 90 degree angle relative to the first axis. The step of rotating the applicator by an angle of rotation may be advantageously interposed between the step of moving the applicator along the first axis and the step of moving the applicator along the second axis. In a particularly advantageous implementation, the angle of rotation may be about a 90 degree angle.